Self-care rituals can do wonders for your heart, mind, and body. For example, they help connect you to your highest expression, elevate your overall effectiveness, and enhance how you present yourself and interact with others.
Establishing habits that are right for you takes experimentation, particularly as you navigate your daily responsibilities and commitments. To remain motivated, focus on the benefits of feeling good and attaining your desired outcomes while being patient and kind to yourself.
Cultivate skills that support your well-being.
Believing in yourself and your capabilities is crucial as you journey through life. With ongoing reflection and value alignment, you can address limiting beliefs that impact your confidence and overcome obstacles as they occur.
MHS, Inc., the company that administers the Emotional Quotient Inventory, has a Well-Being Indicator that measures your ability to enjoy life and be content overall. The score is calculated by averaging four Emotional Intelligence competencies: Self-Regard, Self-Actualization, Optimism, and Interpersonal Relationships.
Higher levels of “Self-Regard, Self-Actualization, and Optimism” can assist you in remaining committed to your objectives and recovering faster from setbacks. Furthermore, your scores highlight how you view your “Interpersonal Relationships” in terms of finding them mutually satisfying and supportive, with strategies for improving them.
Prioritize self-care with these 3S’.
Surrounding yourself with those who embrace self-care and want to minimize stress is beneficial. Additionally, incorporating these 3S’ into your routine can enrich your outlook, increase your self-awareness, and create more balance throughout your day.
#1 Silence.
Silence is about shutting out noise and turning inward. When you breathe deeply and still your body, you provide space to acknowledge your emotions, thoughts, and experiences. Author Tom Gibson writes about F.E.A.R., “False Evidence Appearing Real,” which describes how you perceive something as threatening, even when no concrete evidence supports it. Silence enables you to evaluate your situation more precisely and objectively, regulate your emotions, and manage the ups and downs of your day more easily.
#2 Stillness.
If you have ever thought or said, “I just don’t feel like myself,” your inner state was most likely out of alignment with your outer experience. When you slow down, pause, or stop, you can determine what you need, realign, and pivot. Listening to what your body needs—physically and emotionally—can improve how you perceive yourself and minimize negative self-talk. Also, taking a break and resting when feeling drained will provide you space to re-energize rather than engage in behaviors that further perpetuate the issues.
#3 Solitude.
Embrace alone time to gain perspective about what’s most important to you and free yourself from external demands and the craving for more. In Michael Easter’s book “Scarcity Brain: Fixing Your Craving Mindset & Rewire Your Habits to Thrive with Enough,” Easter highlights why humans have a relentless drive for more. Letting go of a “scarcity loop” mindset where you’re constantly distracted and wooed by something else is empowering. Solitude can safeguard your energy, maintain emotional balance, and replace high arousal feelings, like excitement and fear, with lower ones, such as restraint and calmness, which can help reduce compulsive behaviors. Furthermore, learning to be okay with what you have and clearing mental and physical clutter will help you conquer resistance and adopt positive practices.
Self-care is a necessity that takes practice and discipline.
Personal wellness is not just a “nice to have,” especially when faced with competing wants, needs, responsibilities, and commitments. Being deliberate in your intentions—before you start an activity and when you’re about to pivot to a new one—can help you maximize your energy and focus.
Expand your know-how to activate your best.
Self-leadership is about getting to know yourself better and applying that knowledge to how you connect with others. As a lifelong student, certified professional coach, and consultant, activating the best in others through self-leadership, interpersonal relations, and team dynamics are passions of mine. My approach is personalized and customized, tapping into various assessments, disciplines, modalities, and techniques. Also, check out my “Micro & Mini Service Offerings” and “Cultivate New Habits Program” to inspire you. Sign up solo or with another person or group to work on a specific exercise or activity and split the costs! Contact me to get started.